There are rabbits and then there are jackrabbits! And if you think there isn’t much of a difference, you need to take a second look. I am not talking about the fluffy Cotton-tailed Rabbit munching the tulips in your backyard. No, I’m talking about the monster of all rabbits, the White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii).

Despite its name, the White-tailed Jackrabbit is not a rabbit at all-in fact it is actually a type of hare. Rabbits and hares are closely related and are members of the same family (Leporidae, Rabbits and Hares). Both rabbits and hares have long ears and large powerful hind legs. Both have excellent hearing, outstanding eyesight.

Beyond these basic physical similarities, rabbits and hares are very different animals. The White-tailed Jackrabbit is significantly larger then the Cotton-tailed Rabbit. Jacks stand up to 2 feet tall including their enormous 8-inch long ears compared to 12-16 inches for the cotton-tail. The average jackrabbit weights about 7-10 pounds while the smaller cotton-tail comes in at 2-4 pounds.

Now here is the major difference between hares and rabbits. After mating in Feb and March, mother jacks don’t build a cozy nest chamber like the cotton-tail. Instead they give birth to 3 or 4 young right on the ground. And unlike the cotton-tail, baby jacks are born fully furred, eyes and ears open and have the ability to run within hours of birth. Compare that to cotton-tail babies that are born blind, naked and helpless and don’t leave the nest for several weeks and you can start to see the big difference between these two species.

The jackrabbits main line of defense is quick identification of danger and speed. Keen eyesight and outstanding hearing alert them to any danger. They can run up to 40 mph for short bursts and leap 10-17 feet in a single bound. Not many predators can catch a jackrabbit at full speed.

Another major difference between the jackrabbit and the cotton-tail rabbit is its pelage. Pelage is just a fancy word to describe its fur. Unlike the cottontail, jackrabbits change color in winter to a all white coat of fur. In summer jacks return to their brown or tan coat. This seasonal change is great camouflage and helps to avoid detection by predators.

Female jackrabbits are slightly larger than the males. This is of special note because while it can be common in the bird world, it is very rare in mammals. Adult male jackrabbits are called bucks while the adult females are called does.

Jackrabbits are strict herbivores eating green grass and other plants during the summer and eating dried grasses, twigs and berries during winter. Their digestive system is not very efficient and during the winter when their diet consists of margin nutritional food items such as twigs, the jacks will produce two different kinds of fecal pellets or droppings. The first type of fecal pellet is hard, dry and woody. These are passed normally. The second type of pellet is a soft, moist and green. These special fecal pellets are reingested (eaten again) in a behavior called coprophagy. This unusual behavior allows the food to pass through the digestive system a second time to extract every little bit of nutrition.

Until next time…